In the days that followed, Germain was constantly busy traveling back and forth from the coastal fortress to the Dark Continent using a special teleportation point.
Each time, he brought along different members to collect what was known as "Calamity and Hope."
It was, in a way, an intensive training exercise for the core members of the professional Hunters — and with Germain as a powerful figure to rely on, it was an opportunity they couldn't afford to waste.
The members of the Zodiacs took turns accompanying Germain on trips to the Dark Continent.
Each one of them returned physically exhausted — but with eyes that gleamed with excitement and wonder.
The experience had broadened their horizons and given them a clearer psychological understanding of what awaited them on that dangerous land.
Ironically, the one who first suggested this idea, Netero, ended up being the most frustrated of them all.
Because he couldn't go.
While it was acceptable for a Zodiac member to disappear for a day or two, if Netero were to vanish for even half an hour without appearing in public, it could easily trigger rumors and public unrest.
Only someone of his reputation and seniority could maintain the current balance — so he had no choice but to stay.
Though Germain had earned the full trust and respect of those within the Hunter Association, people outside the Association still had little understanding of his true strength or past feats.
As a result, they didn't take him as seriously.
Given the situation, Netero could only suppress his restlessness and remain stationed at the coastal fortress.
Meanwhile, the results of Germain's expeditions were quickly compiled and laid out.
He had retrieved miraculous items like the "Herb for All-illnesses," the Alchemy Plant Metallion, the mysterious "Unmanned Rock," and the longevity-inducing food known as Nitro Rice.
All of these dreamy "Hopes" were now safely in their possession.
Many of the "Calamities" — once terrifying threats — had served as sparring partners for the Zodiac members while alive.
After their deaths, they became vessels of "Gift of Resentment" gifted to Germain.
As a result, he obtained six additional lanterns in one go, bringing his total to thirteen.
Furthermore, the number of cursed remains sealed within the Curse of Resentment Badge had also increased.
"The Remains of the Bloodthirsty Apostle."
"The Remains of the Disease Spreader."
"The Remains of the Tongue of Theft."
"The Remains of the Rift of Ecstasy."
"The Remains of the Red Snake of Jealousy."
"The Remains of the Black Snake of Defamation."
As it turned out, what his "Resentment Badge" sealed were the resentments of disasters before death, not the disaster entities themselves.
Which meant that the true bodies of those disasters could still be reborn in the future.
In other words, one day, he could pit the "Remains of the Bloodthirsty Apostle" against the resurrected version of the same calamity in a death match—just to see which would survive.
In theory, their combat strength would be identical.
That meant victory would likely depend on tactics—and a little bit of luck.
However, these remnants were single-use only.
Once activated and the conditions met, they would vanish—and the same type of remnant would never appear again.
That meant once he used them, they were gone for good.
In total, including the previously acquired "Remains of the Flame Demon Dragon," Germain's "Resentment Badge" now held seven different kinds of remnants.
All of them were Champion-Class.
With that, unless Germain chose not to use them, any enemy who wished to confront him would first have to overcome these seven calamity remnants.
The difficulty of that... was unimaginable.
Having completed a full round of collecting from "Calamity and Hope," and after assisting the Zodiacs in an intense training campaign, Germain's mission on the New Continent was now essentially complete.
Before April 2000 arrived, Germain would return to Greed Island with Shizuku.
April 1st, 2000 – Greed Island
Amid a barren desert where almost no vegetation grew, the wind swept across the sands, kicking up dust under a grayish sky.
Jagged, towering stone pillars stood tall like ancient monuments to time forgotten.
One of these massive stones had a wide opening in the middle, resembling a stone archway.
Beneath the arch, a dim yellow campfire flickered.
Its wild heat licked at the cold stone, casting shadows that danced wildly across the rock faces.
Their silhouettes twisted and overlapped.
"Hey, hey, hey, how come nothing's happened yet? Don't tell me this is some kind of April Fool's joke?"
The chubby Milluki wiped the sweat off his face with a handkerchief, squinting in annoyance.
"I spent a ton of money on this piece of intel... If this turns out to be some prank, I swear I'm gonna kill those bastards on the forums."
Killua, who had been lounging with his hands behind his head, rolled his eyes.
"Alright, Milluki. If we really got played, we'll just split the loss, okay?"
"Mhm."
Sitting snugly beside Killua was Alluka, her fuzzy grayish hologram flickering faintly.
She nodded obediently and said sweetly, "Milluki-nii, I'll even use my allowance to help out."
"No—no, no, no!" Milluki waved his hands frantically.
"If my dad or grandpa finds out I took money from you, I'll be dead when I get home."
"They wouldn't! They're not like that."
"Alluka... they are. They exactly are like that."
As the three Zoldyck siblings chatted animatedly, laughter circling the warm glow of the campfire, a sudden shout broke the rhythm.
On the other side of the flames, the spiky-haired Gon suddenly yelped.
Alluka instantly turned toward him, her face filled with concern.
She was always the kindest member of their little squad—always the first to worry when something seemed off.
Killua dropped his arms, standing up slightly as he asked, "Gon, what's wrong? Don't tell me you got bitten by another snake again?"
Everyone looked toward him.
"N-no, not that!"
Gon scratched the back of his head, looking sheepish as he smiled at everyone.
"I was watching the Heaven's Arena livestream just now... and I got a little too into it, that's all."
"Heavens Arena?"
A tall, lanky figure leaned over beside Gon.
He wore glasses, looked a bit older than he really was, and his voice was as loud as ever.
"Are you talking about Zushi?"
It was none other than Leorio.
"I heard he passed the Hunter Exam this January," Leorio continued, "then went straight back to Heavens Arena."
Gon nodded.
"Yeah. He hasn't finished the task Wing-sensei gave him yet—he has to become a Floor Master at Heavens Arena."
"I was just watching a livestream of one of his matches, where he challenged a Floor Master."
"Unfortunately, he lost."
"Can't be helped." Leorio shrugged, understandingly.
"I know Heaven's Arena... Anyone past the 200th floor is basically a monster, let alone the Floor Masters."
Killua agreed.
"Zushi being able to consistently get ten wins and earn the right to challenge them is already impressive."
He glanced around, thinking for a moment, before suddenly asking,
"What do you guys think? Could we beat the Floor Masters now and take their place?"
Everyone present froze at the question—even Hanzo and Pokkle, who hadn't been part of the earlier conversation.
Back in January, Gon and Killua's team had cleared the Greed Island Z main storyline without taking any shortcuts, exactly as Germain had intended.
They had met Granny Linne at Limeiro Castle, along with Dwun, Ickshonpe, Abengane, and the others.
Each member of their team had received three types of cards as rewards and gained access to partial intelligence regarding the Dark Continent.
More importantly, despite Germain setting such harsh conditions, their team was the first to successfully clear Greed Island Z.
All of this was more than enough to prove that they were no longer who they used to be.
They had evolved in every way.
Well—Leorio didn't really count.
He had only entered Greed Island in February and joined the team afterward.
At this point, he was simply proficient at playing the game.
As for why he had specifically come to join the Greed Island Z challenge?
That traced back to the bombshell announcement made in February by V6, the International Travel Permit Bureau, and the Hunter Association.
Regarding BW No. 1, the Dark Continent, the Kakin royal family, and the Thirteen Mafia, countless pieces of information—true and false—are flying around everywhere.
Suddenly, Leorio received instructions from the teacher who was teaching him medicine and Nen abilities, telling him to go to Greed Island.
So, with a confused expression, he came here. It was only now that he was finally getting used to the pace of this game.
*******
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